Chapter 2 Speech Sounds
2.1 Speech production and perception
Phonetics is the study of speech sounds. It includes three
main areas:
1. Articulatory phonetics – the study of the production of
speech sounds
2. Acoustic phonetics – the study of the physical properties
of the sounds produced in speech
3. Auditory phonetics – the study of perception of speech
sounds
Most phoneticians are interested in articulatory
phonetics.
2.2 Speech organs
Speech organs are those parts of the human body involved
in the production of speech. The speech organs can be
considered as consisting of three parts: the initiator of the
air stream, the producer of voice and the resonating cavities.
2.3 Segments, divergences, and phonetic transcription
2.3.1 Segments and divergences
As there are more sounds in English than its letters, each